[FRC Blog] Introducing a New Way to Register Youth in the U.S. and Canada

[thisjustin]

Posted on the FRC Blog, 10/23/2023: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/blog/2023-introducing-a-new-way-to-register-youth-in-the-us-and-canada

We’re thrilled to share a new update to the FIRST ® program registration processes: Express Enrollment Youth Registration! This mobile-friendly registration tool is designed to simplify how parents and guardians sign up youth participants on a team when invited by a lead coach/mentor.

This update is part of a larger digital transformation effort that will make the FIRST organization’s technology systems and processes more efficient and effective in serving the FIRST community and driving our mission forward.

The new Express Enrollment application provides an additional youth registration pathway for teams in the United States and Canada* using web links or QR codes generated by FIRST lead coaches/mentors in their team Dashboard.

This new application is available for mobile and desktop devices, helping parents and guardians register their youth in a few simple steps.

How Does Express Enrollment Work?

FIRST lead coaches/mentors with completed FIRST Youth Protection Screenings can generate web links or QR codes from the Team Contacts/Roster section of the FIRST Dashboard to share with parents and guardians.

Parents/guardians of youth participants use the web link or QR code from the coach/mentor to apply their student to the team and complete the FIRST Youth Registration process from a mobile or desktop device.

Learn more about the Youth Registration options for parents/guardians registering youth globally on the Youth Registration System Overview page.

Please note that some regions may have additional steps after Express Enrollment to complete youth registration. If this is the case, your local Program Delivery Organization will contact you with further instructions.

Questions?

If you need assistance registering youth for the season, please contact Customer Support at [email protected].

If you’re looking for a FIRST team to join, visit our Team & Event Search.

*The Express Enrollment application is currently available for use in the United States and Canada. We are looking to expand the application to additional locations in the future.

[ajs2]

This is an amazing improvement. The less anyone needs to touch TIMS, the better.

[knightscape]

I’m not clear if these invitation links are supposed to be unique to each student, or do I make just one and send it to the whole team?

[Zook]

I am cautiously optimistic about this.

[orangemoore]

The link works up to 500 times . Per the FAQ

[Chris_Ely]

This is a massive improvement over the old way of registering youth. Every youth that has registered with our team this year using our link has their consent and release forms signed. Last year we spent weeks chasing down parents to get them signed.

@knightscape

I’m not clear if these invitation links are supposed to be unique to each student, or do I make just one and send it to the whole team?

You can make one link for the team. Just make sure the expiration date is far out enough (it defaults to a week).

[meb]

Instructions needed! We had a parents’ meeting/orientation yesterday and gave out the QR code to register for the team.

Some of the kids probably registered with FIRST with their emails and PW’s.
But when the parents use the QR code and try to register with their names/information, and C&R –
they get an error message that says “This email is already associated with another FIRST account. Please contact [[email protected]]”. What is the solution?